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David has been with Ewald Consulting since 1986. He was named Vice President and managing partner of the firm in 1988 and became President and CEO in 1998. He has a M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota with a concentration in business, government and society, a discipline that involved extensive research and study of the impact of trade and professional associations on society. David served as president of the Board of the Minnesota Government Relations Council in 1997. He served as president of the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) board in 2002-03 and is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives. He earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 1994.

Q. What do you love about Ewald Consulting?
A. I love the opportunity to get to interact with so many people from different fields. I learn something new every day!

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. Beside our home cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago, I would say San Francisco (California), Washington, DC, and London.

Q. What is the best professional advice you ever received?
A. “The only question you need to answer correctly when hiring to fill a position is: ‘do I, or do I not, hire THIS person’?”

Q. What is your favorite restaurant or food?
A. We are currently in love with the Bachelor Farmer in Minneapolis. My wife Susan and I are both adventurous food lovers, so I will try just about anything.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. I was the sixth grade chess champion of Gatewood Elementary and still love to play chess. I have a game going online right now with a guy in Lebanon.

Eric Ewald, CAEVice President

P: (651) 290-6266

Eric joined Ewald Consulting in 1994 and is a partner with the firm. He also serves as the General Manager of Ewald Consulting’s Chicago office. He earned his M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, where he was a double major in Entrepreneurship and Strategic Management. Eric provides strategic leadership for several Ewald Consulting clients. Eric is Ewald Consulting’s lead facilitator for governance workshops and strategic planning engagements. His experience over 20 years includes governance, strategic planning, budgeting, membership and government relations. Eric is a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer. He served as Chair of the Midwest Society of Association Executives (MSAE) board in 2011-2012 and is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). He earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 1999.

Q. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
A. The Will to Govern Well: Knowledge, Trust, and Nimbleness, by Glenn Tecker and Paul Meyer.

Q. What is the best professional advice you ever received?
A. Share good news fast — and bad news faster.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working?
A. Spending time with family, playing guitar and ski racing.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. I lived for a year in Hungary.

Becca PryseVice President of Public Affairs

P: (651) 265-7858

Becca joined Ewald Consulting in 2005 and is the Vice President of Public Affairs, overseeing the company’s government and media relations functions. She has 14 years of legislative experience as a staff person in the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Wisconsin State Assembly. In the Minnesota House, Becca worked as a communication specialist and committee administrator, and most recently served as the Director of Research and Legislative Services. Becca graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Becca is an alumni member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, a Board Member of the Minnesota Government Relations Council, and Board Member of Bridges to Learning, a non-profit organization.

Q. What do you love about government relations?
A. I really love helping our clients problem solve and find strategies to impact public policy, and I love being a part of a team of that is always searching for the best outcomes for our clients.

Q. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
A. Home is a Roof Over a Pig, by Aminta Arrington. It’s a memoir of a family’s adventures while living, working, and traveling in China for two years.

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. I think I left a piece of my heart in Sevilla, Spain years ago when I lived there for a semester during college. I pretty much love everything about the city.

Q. What is the best professional advice you ever received?
A.
Do what you say you will do.

Kathie Pugaczewski, CAE, CMPVice President of Communication and Technology

P: (651) 265-7859

Kathie Pugaczewski is the Vice President of Communication and Technology. She has more than 25 years of association management experience with a focus on technology/data platform strategy, marketing communications, conference management, continuing education and certification programs. She joined Ewald Consulting in 2005. Previously, Kathie worked for the Midwest Association of Association Executives (MSAE) as Marketing Director and the Builders Association of Minnesota as Executive Vice President. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota and completed the Institute for Organization Management at the University of Notre Dame. In December 2003, she earned her CAE designation. In March 2009, she earned her Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) designation.

Q. What do you love about communications and technology?
By combining good design and data, we can offer creative measurable strategies for our clients. I also get to keep learning every day and lead an awesome team of talented graphic designers and data gurus.

Q. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
A. Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working?
A. Running, writing a blog and hanging out with my family, my friends and my dogs.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. In my first year at college, I was taking both engineering and journalism classes and chose a journalism degree in my second year. This probably explains why I enjoy left brain (data) and right brain (design) pursuits.

Amanda EwaldVice President of Finance and Client Accounting

P: (651) 290-7476

Amanda received her first paycheck from Ewald Consulting at the age of 10 for stuffing envelopes. She graduated from envelopes to a variety of internships during high school and while attending St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. She graduated from St. Olaf with a B.A. degree in Economics and a concentration in Finance and Management. Amanda became the first third-generation Ewald to work full-time at the company when she was hired in 2007 as Operations Manager. She currently serves as the Vice President of Finance and Client Accounting.

Q. What do you love about your job?
A. I love getting to work with all of the different members of the associations that we manage. I also love studying and working with numbers.

Q. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
A. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. My favorite city is Lutsen, Minnesota. I have been going up there with my family since I was born and got married up there — so it is a special place to me!

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working?
A. I like to spend time with my family, my husband, and my dog. I enjoy running, cooking, reading, and fishing.

Bill MonnVice President of Client Relations

P: (651) 290-6295

Bill joined Ewald Consulting in 2005, following 15 years as business manager and publisher of the magazine group at Pillsbury and General Mills. Bill’s responsibilities include contract management for Ewald Consulting’s management clients, assuring appropriate resource and service levels. Bill also works with staff members and at times directly with clients to develop strategic business plans that promote successful and profitable operations for client organizations and Ewald Consulting. Bill originally was on the client side, serving as a founding member and as a past president of an association incorporated by Ewald Consulting. Bill is the executive director for several Ewald Consulting client organizations, and oversees the Member Services and Marketing department. Bill has a B.A. degree in journalism from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has taken additional education courses (such an intensive "mini MBA" program on business management at St. Thomas). More recently, Bill has served as an adjunct professor in the Journalism & Mass Communications department at St. Thomas University.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. Visited all 50 states.

Shannon Pfarr Thompson, CAEVice President of Meeting and Event Management, Professional Development and Operations

P: (651) 290-6277

Shannon joined Ewald Consulting in 1999 and currently serves as Vice President of Meeting and Event Management, and Professional Development. Shannon has expertise in project management, strategic planning and board relations. Over the years she has served as the lead account executive for several Ewald Consulting clients. Shannon’s career includes experience as the committee administrator for the Transportation and Transit Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives and acting as a Family Services Specialist for the Head Start program. Shannon holds a B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame, and graduated with a dual major in political science and sociology. She earned her Master’s in Public Policy from the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota and in 2005 she achieved the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation.

Q. What do you love about association management?
A. I love thinking strategically with my board on how to improve the association for their members and industry.

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. I love St. Paul – its neighborhoods, ethnic restaurants, Capitol building and laid-back vibe.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working?
A. Hang out with my family and do fun, active things like bike, run, play tennis, hike and ski.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. Rootbeer milk is my favorite non-alcoholic drink.

Paul Hanscom, CAEVice President of Marketing & Business Development

P: (651) 290-6274

Paul joined Ewald Consulting in 2004. Previously, Paul worked in project management and implementation for various companies, nonprofits and government institutions including the Bretton Woods Committee, the Customer Relationship Management Unit of the International Trade Administration, and the Latin American Network Project of Casa de la Paz. He is experienced in monitoring & evaluation, strategic planning, sponsorship development and volunteer engagement. Paul holds a M.A. degree in International Development from the American University and a double B.A. degree. Paul serves as adjunct faculty in the Business Administration Program at Saint Paul College, St. Paul, Minnesota. His writing on membership development and stakeholder analysis has been published in Nonprofit News, FORUM, and AssociationsNow magazine.

He has served on the board of directors for the Midwest International NGO Network, Corcoran Neighborhood Organization, and the Saint Anthony Park Community Council. Paul has been a featured speaker at state, regional, and national conferences presenting on volunteer engagement and board leadership. Paul earned the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 2008, in 2011 he received the CAI National Rising Star Award, and in 2014 he was recognized among the Forty Under 40 most successful association management professionals by USAE News and the Association Forum of Chicagoland.

Q. What do you love about Ewald Consulting?
A. I find it rewarding when I share the Ewald Consulting model with someone for the first time and they say, “I never knew that was an option for us,” or, “That sounds like a much better approach to getting things done.” It’s great to see the impact that our clients are able to have and to know we’ve had a role in making it happen.

Q. What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
A. Nonprofit Management 101 by Darian Rodriguez Heyman. The book covers a variety of management topics and compares different leadership approaches. I’ve used this as a textbook for the Fundamentals of Nonprofit Leadership course that I instruct at Saint Paul College.

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. I thoroughly enjoy Rio de Janeiro. No matter the time of year, there’s always something to do and see. There are several convenient hotel and restaurant options and the city is very easy to navigate. I especially enjoy that you can visit the ocean and hike in the mountains in the same day.

Q. What is something most people don’t know about you?
A. Most people don’t know that I speak Spanish and have spent time living, studying and vacationing abroad in ten different Spanish-speaking countries.

Darrin Hubbard, CAEDirector of Association Management

P: (651) 290-7463

Darrin joined Ewald Consulting in 2005. He has a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a concentration in Leadership and Management. During his time with Ewald Consulting, Darrin has played a key role in the management of several associations. He is experienced in project management, membership analysis, social media applications and developing creative marketing solutions. Darrin earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation in 2010.

Q. What do you love about association management?
A. I enjoy the variety and working with volunteers. On any given day, I could have a hand in any number of projects with clients representing several industries.

Q. What is your favorite city?
A. San Francisco, California, and the surrounding wine country is a favorite place to visit.

Q. What is the best professional advice you ever received?
A. Don’t ever be late.

Q. What do you like to do when you are not working?
A. As a new parent, our new arrival keeps much of my attention. I used to enjoy bird hunting with the dog, playing baseball and broomball, house projects, Gopher Football, relaxing at a lake in the summer.